50 Norfolk firefighters attended a huge fire at a watermill on 1st July.

The fire broke out at Eade’s Mill near Great Witchingham and Whitwell at around 1.30pm.

At the scene, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service group manager Richard Herrell praised crews for their swift action. He said: “I’m not just saying this because they are our lads, but they did a magnificent job in very difficult circumstances. When you get a fire of this severity in a property such as this, you need a very high degree of skill to stop it spreading very, very quickly. What they have done is avoided the total loss of the structure.”

Fire service watch manager David Peacock said: “It was a very difficult fire to fight because of the traditional structure and because it has got a lot of hidden voids. It could have taken the whole of the house; it could have taken the adjoining properties. I would say the majority of the building has been saved from major fire damage. Because of its rural location, the Dereham and Earlham crews had an awful lot to do to contain it. They had to work really hard to fight, and to contain, it before we could get in further resources.”

One person was treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.